Quite the pair
by AffyLestrange
Summary: The meeting of Pure-blood Andromeda Black and Ted Tonks. Set in their NEWT year, my first fanfiction so sorry about any mistakes.


Andromeda inwardly groaned as professor Slughorn read out her potions partner for the upcoming school year; Ted Tonks. She had never spoken to the sandy haired Hufflepuff boy, but knew him to be a muggle born and that was enough to know that she didn't want to mix with him. A muggle born is someone with magical abilities like her own, but come from a family of complete non magical folk, more commonly known as muggles in the wizarding world.

She held her head high as she gathered up her potions book, flicked her long, caramel brown hair over her shoulder and navigated her way through the wooden tables in the dungeon classroom over to the bench they would be sharing, concealing the disgust she felt for this boy's blood status. She remembered her mother's last words to her on platform nine and three quarters; "Remember Andromeda, you are a Black and will not associate with mudbloods and filth." Those were always Druella Black's parting words with Andromeda and her two sisters Bellatrix and Narcissa. Narcissa was the most pampered and spoilt daughter, the youngest at age 14 and one year younger than Andromeda. She looked most like their mother with blonde hair and grey eyes, whereas there was more resemblance between Andromeda and her eldest sister, Bellatrix who was age 16 and had long curly dark chocolate hair and dark brown eyes. Bellatrix and Andromeda had inherited the traditional Black looks from their father, heavily lidded eyes and a strong jaw and with a look arrogance.

She thought it was bad enough that they let muggle borns attend Hogwarts, let alone make pure bloods like herself, carry them through the school and Andromeda was sure that was exactly what she would be doing. The boy probably hadn't even heard of potions until a few weeks ago. He would be vile and ignorant and she wouldn't allow him to affect her grades.

"Hi, im Ted" said the boy cheerfully holding out his hand.

"Andromeda," she muttered, ignoring his outstretched hand and sweeping the ingredients for today's potion brewing towards her, before he could send them flying.

Professor Slughorn announced to the class that they would be making sleeping draughts and to turn to page fifty two for the instructions.

"What shall I do?" asked Ted excitedly.

Andromeda scanned the instructions trying to find the simplest task to give him. "Here, you crush these beetles while I brew the salamander blood." She shoved the pile of beetles to his side of the table and set to work on lighting the cauldron. Surely he would be able to complete this simple task without too much trouble. A few seconds later, she was proven wrong as he somehow managed to flick a beetle across the dungeon with the crushing blade.

"Sorry!" he squeaked "I knew I would be useless at potions."

Andromeda felt a twinge of sympathy at his obvious insecurity, "Its fine, you can start on the write up. You can write can't you?"

"Of course I can!" replied Ted sounding a little hurt.

She hadn't meant to hurt his feeling, and not knowing much about muggles she generally didn't know whether or not they could write at this age. It wasn't his fault he was magic she supposed. Trying to break the awkward silence that followed she asked, "So what do your parents do for a living?"

Obviously glad she had decided to make conversation with him he cheered up and answered, "My Dad's a postman and my Mum works in a bank."

"Gringotts?" she asked hopefully, wondering if she had been wrong about his blood status and one of his parents worked in the wizarding bank.

"No Natwest."

"When did you find out you were a wizard?" she was actually very interested in how muggle borns were told of their magical abilities, and as she wasn't allowed to mix with them and her parents certainly wouldn't allow her to take muggle studies she had never known.

"Thought someone was playing a prank on me at first!" he chuckled, "Got a letter delivered by an owl telling me to go to some pub called the leaky cauldron in London, where I should ask the owner, some guy called Tom, to show me to the secret entrance that lead to a place called Diagon Alley to buy a cauldron and uniform for a school of magic called Hogwarts. Mum and Dad thought it was a joke too, until Professor McGonagall turned up on my doorstep, asking is she could have a chat with my parents and a cup of coffee! She explained everything, gave me my ticket for the Hogwarts express, told us how to get onto platform nine and three quarters and that was that. Had to tell all my friends I was going to a boarding school in the country side which I suppose wasn't a complete lie."

"Wow must have been a shock," she replied. Her mother had made out that muggle borns had in some way stolen magically powers from a witch or wizard, but Andromeda couldn't imagine this friendly boy being a thief.

Professor Slughorn walked past their work station and peered into the cauldron, then picked up the write up and read through it with a grin on his face. "Merlin's beard this potion is perfect! And yes I think the write up is all correct too, full marks to you too and ten points to Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Very good for your first day, you make quite the pair!" He then dismissed the class as the bell rang.

"Did you hear that, he said we made a good pair! Maybe I won't be as bad at potions as I thought," said Ted smiling. She smiled back, swung her bag over her shoulder and left the dungeon.

As she walked out she saw that Rita Skeeter, Bellatrix' friend and school gossip spreader had seen her acting nicely towards the muggle born and Rita was sure to report back to Bella but she was bound to twist it and make Andromeda look like she was best friends with the boy or something extreme like that.

I will have to get to Bella before Rita does so I can explain what really happened, Andromeda thought to herself. I have known the boy less than two hours and it had already started to cause a bit of trouble. This is exactly what mother was talking about she thought, if I try to be friends with someone like him them it will cause nothing but trouble. I will have to ask Slughorn to move me even if we make a good pair because. Andromeda would not let his friendly nature or kind honey coloured eyes ruin her relationship with her sister, especially right at the beginning of the school year. If he was a pure blood or even a half blood then maybe she could stay being nice to him, maybe even befriend him but that wasn't the case especially when you come from a pure blood family like the Blacks. He was a muggle born and she was a strictly bought up pure blood, and they could never be friends. She walked swiftly down the stone staircase to the Slytherin dormitories where the Hufflepuff boy couldn't follow.


End file.
